Dead Man's Switch is a plugin that requires periodic check-ins from the server owner. If you stop checking in, it triggers configurable actions (deleting files/folders,

running scripts) after a deadline passes.

Built for privacy-conscious users who want automated cleanup if they become unable to manage their server.

Requirements: Unraid 6.12.0 or later

Install URL:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dereckhall/unraid-deadmans-switch/main/plugin/deadman-switch.plg

After installing, go to Settings > Dead Man's Switch to configure.

Features

• Configurable check-in interval (default: 30 days)

• Grace period with extra hours after the deadline before actions fire

• Trigger actions: delete files/folders with glob pattern support, or run custom bash scripts

• Dry run mode to safely preview exactly what would happen before going live

• Arm / Disarm / Pause controls

• Double-miss protection: optionally require two consecutive missed deadlines before triggering

• Dashboard tile with real-time countdown

Notifications

• Discord webhooks with rich embeds, color-coded severity, and one-click check-in links

• Custom webhooks to any HTTP endpoint

• Uptime Kuma push heartbeat monitoring

• Warning thresholds at 50%, 75%, 90%, and 95% of elapsed time

External API (port 3801)

A lightweight API server runs on port 3801, separate from Unraid's authenticated nginx. Supports remote check-ins, status queries, and token-based quick check-in URLs. CORS

enabled for Home Assistant and browser clients.

Screenshots

Unraid's dashboard with DMS card

Unraid's settings main menu for DMS

Unraid's settings actions menu for DMS

DMS's Home Assistant dashboard created by leveraging the built-in API

DMS's Home Assistant phone notification example created by leveraging the built-in API

Discord's webhook with rich embed for DMS

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions are documented in the README:

https://github.com/dereckhall/unraid-deadmans-switch#troubleshooting

Source / Issues: https://github.com/dereckhall/unraid-deadmans-switch

License: MIT

Edited March 23Mar 23 by Dereck

I'm running a script and it's not working correctly, basically I've named it dmsshutdown.sh and inside, I just put

shutdown -t now

It throws an error saying that the time variable is mandatory. Don't know what I'm doing wrong...